The ski season is approaching in the world's ski resorts, which means that it is high time to take seriously the choice of equipment, an important part of which is a ski suit.
After all, if skis, boots and a helmet can be rented on any ski slope, then the clothes for the slopes should fit like a glove, be comfortable, not restrict movement and, importantly, please the owner.
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Difference from casual wear
No one would argue that downhill gear should be different from the jackets we wear in everyday life. There are significant features that distinguish ski suits from other winter clothing.
- Features of the material. Alpine skiing equipment is always made of fabrics that are resistant to damage and abrasion, which have dirt-repellent properties and increased durability.
- Features of styles... The set consists of trousers with a high waist and a jacket that fits snugly thanks to the cuffs on the sleeves, elastic bands at the waist and at the bottom of the jacket, and gathering on the hood. This is necessary to protect the rider from gusts of wind, snow getting under the clothes.
- Features of color solutions. Traditionally, skiers and snowboarders' equipment comes in bright colors, visible on white slopes, to avoid injury from collisions on the track.
Consider these and other features that directly affect the choice when buying a ski suit.
First you need to decide on the style. It is a mistake to think that all descending clothing is the same. Ski fashion has its own directions and trends, so in order not to regret your choice, you should understand the trends for alpine skiing in 2019.
All the variety of ski clothing can be divided into types based on their appearance and functional purpose.
Classic
Suits that never go out of fashion and are in consistently high demand due to thoughtful cut, high-quality fabrics, bright, but at the same time sustained appearance.
The target audience also determines the functional characteristics. At such resorts, stable mild weather, heated lifts, there is an opportunity to warm up with a cup of hot tea, so the insulating properties of such suits can be called average.
Fashion
The costumes of this category are distinguished by their attractive appearance and an abundance of decorative elements, in comparison with the classic ones. They may include embroidery, fur, stones and rhinestones, unusual ornaments and prints, bold and trendy color combinations.
Fashion-style is chosen by young girls who love everyone's attention and admiration. At the same time, functional characteristics often fade into the background.
They may not be the most comfortable to ride due to the fitted cut, and the material may not be as durable and durable as in suits for professional athletes. But such a jacket will look appropriate not only on the slope, but also in winter in the city.
Fashion Sport
An outfit that combines fashion trends and advanced technologies in the raw materials used.
These are suits of a high price category, produced by the most famous brands of ski clothing for those who do not like half measures and want to be the best in everything.
Freeride Suits
They are the most democratic in appearance. Their cut and styles do not pretend to be elitist, but the baggy is due to the need to wear multi-layered clothing during off-piste skiing, where comfortable lifts are not provided, and weather conditions can be unpredictable.
At the same time, the quality of the material used for sewing is high, because freeride skiers spend a lot of time walking between slopes, and therefore vapor permeability from the inside and moisture resistance from the outside should be very high.
What are they made of
Due to the fact that clothing for skiers is primarily functional, it must meet a huge number of requirements for the convenience and safety of skiing.
As a rule, this is an outer protective layer, insulation and membrane. All kinds of climate control, anti-static fabrics, fleece can be added to them. All layers are made from synthetic raw materials.
It is modern synthetics, in contrast to natural materials, that have won a strong leading position in the sports world.
- External protective layer
The outer layer is in most cases made of polyamide, polyester or lycra. It must be resistant to mechanical stress, not coarse at subzero temperatures.
- Membrane
The membrane layer plays an extremely important role in sportswear in general, and in skiing in particular. The membrane allows sweat generated during active sports to escape outside, and at the same time, does not allow moisture and cold to penetrate from the outside to the inside.
The indicators of water resistance and vapor permeability are always indicated by the manufacturer, since the buyer is largely based on them when choosing winter sportswear.
Water resistance sufficient for skiing is from 10,000 mm of water column (mm h.c.).
The vapor permeability at medium intensity loads should be in the range of 8000 - 10000 g / m2 / day, and at high intensity loads, for example, freeriding, even higher, at least 15000, and even better 20,000 g / m2 / day.
- Insulation
As for heaters, fillers from holofiber, thinsulate and synthetic winterizer of the latest generation have proven themselves equally well.
The density of the insulation does not exceed 100 g / m2, since with a denser layer, even a high-quality membrane will not cope with steam removal and the skier will sweat. It is difficult to give an unequivocal answer here which of the heaters is better. Before making a choice and buying a suit, you can study customer reviews.
How to choose
So how do you choose the perfect ski suit and not get confused by the variety of models on the market?
In addition to the fact that the kit should be liked visually, it should have a number of necessary details:
- Double cuffs are desirable.
- The elastic should be at the bottom of the jacket and at the waist.
- The jacket and trousers should have a lot of tightly closing pockets of different depths, fasteners and key hooks.
- Adjustable drawstrings on the collar, hood.
- Waterproof fasteners (zippers, Velcro).
- Perfect cut, no protruding threads and other sewing defects that give out a low quality item.
It is much easier in this regard to purchase clothes with live fitting, however, the choice in sports retail chains is often much poorer than in online stores. In this case, it is especially important to carefully take measurements, writing down, and, if necessary, requesting from the seller the main parameters.
These include:
- Chest circumference.
- Waist circumference.
- Hip girth.
- Shoulder width.
- Sleeve length along the shoulder seam.
- The length of the trousers is along the inside seam.
- Height.
- The length of the product on the back.
When ordering, be sure to add at least 1 centimeter to each measurement taken, since wearing ski clothing implies layering.
Top 5 brands
The alpine skiing clothing market is unimaginably large. It presents clothes of different price segment, quality and styles.
However, there are 5 leaders among them.
- Phenix - a joint production of professional membrane ski clothing with Japan. The price category is medium - from 25,000 rubles to 60,000 rubles for premium models.
- Bogner - a widespread brand of sportswear in the middle price segment and consistently high quality on the Russian market. The classic set can be purchased at a price of 20,000 to 35,000 rubles.
- Columbia - one of the recognized leaders in the production of sportswear from the United States with the widest range. The manufacturer offers models of a democratic price segment from 15,000 rubles and a premium class at a price above 40,000 rubles.
- Azimuth - a young manufacturer of clothing for alpine skiing and snowboarding, which has already won the hearts of customers with high quality and affordable prices. A set of trousers and a jacket can be purchased at prices ranging from 12,000 to 18,000 rubles and even cheaper during the sales season.
- Spyder - the clothes of the manufacturer are distinguished by innovative styles and the introduction of constant new developments. The price segment is above average, prices start at 50,000 rubles.
How to care for a suit
Caring for ski clothes, as well as for other sports equipment, is simple, but you should know a few subtleties that will keep the state of a new thing for as long as possible.
It is fairly believed that from frequent washing, membrane fabric loses its moisture and windproof properties, therefore professional riders advise to wash ski suits as rarely as possible - no more than 1 time per season. And although their opinion is not without foundation, it will be optimal to wash clothes as they become dirty.
Most sports kits are machine washable. To be sure of this, you need to carefully examine the label with the washing and drying conditions. But what you certainly don't need to do is dry it in a tumble dryer or use the drying mode of the washing machine. In this way, you can hopelessly ruin the insulation and the membrane.
Use non-aggressive detergents for washing.
The optimal solution for washing is the use of a special detergent for washing ski suits, which can be purchased at sports online stores.
The use of stain removers is strongly discouraged. Their aggressive environment is likely to ruin the color of the suit.
The washed suit can be dried in two ways - by hanging it on a hanger, gently straightening it, or spreading it out on the floor, having previously laid a thin towel or sheet under it.
After complete drying, the suit can be additionally treated with water-repellent impregnation. This impregnation is sold as an aerosol. It should be applied evenly by spraying from a distance of approximately 30 centimeters, paying particular attention to seams.
After all these actions, the ski suit will again be ready for exploits on the slopes. Following all of these tips will keep the suit looking like a new one for as long as possible.
And some more models:
